Demo Sports Daily

SPOILER ALERT!!

This just in: Usain Bolt is still the fastest man alive.  This should have easily been the biggest story of today’s Olympic competition.

Not so fast.

That distinction belongs to Andy Murray.  The tennis star from host Great Britain made a surprising run (including beating a heavily favored Novak Djokovic in the semis) to face Roger Federer with gold on the line.

Murray, the lovable loser, has lost all four of the Grand Slam finals he has played in (three of which were against Federer).  Recently,  he faced Federer in this year’s Wimbledon final, losing to the all-time Grand Slam champ.  Olympic tennis is also being held at the historic Wimbledon venue.  Same venue. Same opponent.  All signs pointed to the same result.

Not so fast.

In front of over 60,000 of his hometown fans, Murray made his country proud.  Playing the best tennis of his life, he dominated Federer throughout the entire match.  When the smoke had cleared, Murray found himself in an unfamiliar position: on the top of the podium.  6-2, 6-1, 6-4… a masterful performance.  Now Murray can claim a distinction that has eluded the great Federer: that of an Olympic champion.

“It has been the best week of my tennis career by a mile,” Murray said. “I’ve had a lot of tough losses. This is the best way to come back from the Wimbledon final. I’ll never forget it.”

The team from Great Britain struggled early in this Olympic Games, but has surged as of late.  They currently sit third in the medal count behind the US and China.  No win will be more memorable for the host than Murray’s triumph.

A great underdog/comeback story is what Olympic dreams are made of.  As Murray showed the world, the Olympic spirit is alive and well in London.